Project Timeline & Accomplishments
The Washington State Mental Health Transformation Project has based its efforts on the following six goals of the President's New Freedom Commission:
- Work toward an understanding that mental health is essential to overall health
- Make mental health care consumer- and family-driven
- Eliminate disparities in mental health services
- Make a common practice of early mental health screening, assessment, and referral to services
- Deliver excellent mental health care and accelerate mental health research
- Use technology to access mental health care and information
In addition, the Mental Health Transformation Project has focused on two local goals of enhancing systems to help deliver better employment and housing opportunities for mental-health services consumers, families, and youth. Key activities, accomplishments, and plans are listed below.
2005/2006
- Hired staff
- Developed office infrastructure (furniture, supplies, computers)
- Established Transformation Work Group and first year meeting
- Established 11 Sub-Committees, functions and meeting schedules
- Established 4 Task Groups, functions and meeting schedules
- Established Evaluation Team, functions and meeting schedules
- Developed contracts for statewide family network, evaluation, consumer network, integrated database
- Conducted statewide needs assessment and report
- Conducted more than forty public meetings statewide and documented concerns, needs, wants - produced report – 27 key themes/outcomes identified
[
116KB] - Organized and held statewide consumer conference attended by 270 people
- Built coalitions to support transformation through members of the Transformation Work Group
- Conducted Recovery/Resilience trainings statewide
- Produced reports from integrated database – encouraged broader use of database by state agencies
- Organized and provide technical assistance to various organizations including the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, National Alliance on Mental Illness, others
- Developed numerous communication strategies – website, distribution lists, story lines, press releases
- Developed social marketing plan and began implementation
- Completed Comprehensive Mental Health Plan – Phase I – submitted to SAMHSA
- Prioritized 3 of the 27 key themes/outcomes identified [ 116KB] for year two focus of Mental Health Transformation Project resources
2007
Legislation
Odd numbered years are biennial budget years – expect more activities during this period. Passage of more than fifteen pieces of legislation or budget provisos in 2007 including:
- EHB 1460 - Expanded Mental Health Parity law to include individual and small business insurance policies
- EHB 1460 - Expanded enrollment in Basic Health Plan which includes mental health and chemical dependency benefit
- HB 1088 - Expanded number of mental health visits for children in Temporary Assistance For Needy Families (TANF) Healthy Options medical plans from 12 to 20
- HB 1088 - Expanded Medicaid fee for service mental health visits for children from 12 to 20 visits and eliminated requirement that service must be provided by psychiatrist
- HB 1201 - Extended Medicaid for foster children from age 18 to age 21 thus making them eligible for Medicaid funded mental health
- HB 1088 - Developed expedited Medicaid eligibility for youth and adults incarcerated and ready for release
- Added mental health benefit to existing General Assistance – Unemployable (GAU) pilot sites (about ten locations) in King and Pierce counties. GAU is a state funded disability program
- HB 1088 - Children’s Mental Health including additional mental health treatment monies and establishment of an Evidence Based Practice Institute
- EHB 121 - Legislation requiring the Mental Health Division to establish regulations for clubhouses
- HB 1573 - Establishment of school drop out prevention programs
- SB 5533 - Granting authority to local law enforcement to divert persons with mental illness when they have committed a misdemeanor from jail to local services, including crisis stabilization facilities. This legislation also requires the Mental Health Division to establish regulations for crisis stabilization programs
Reports/Analysis
- Effects of deployment on children/families of Washington National Guard (will not be complete until July 2008)
- Geographic Disparities in Washington State's Mental Health Workforce [
803KB] - Using DSHS’s Integrated Database to Examine Criminal Justice - Mental Health Issues [ 303KB]
- Expedited Medicaid Restoration for Persons with Mental Illness Released from Jails, Prisons and Hospitals [
217KB] - Disparities of Mental Health Services between Urban and Rural Communities [ 2.5MB]
- Mental Health Division System Transformation Initiative/Involuntary Treatment Act Review
- Mental Health Division Utilization Review Protocols
- Mental Health Division Draft Housing Plan
Training/Technical Assistance
- Recovery/Resilience – 8 sites, 453 people trained
- Behavioral Health Conference - 618 participants
- Co-occurring Disorders Conference – 518 participants
- Mental-Health-Vocational Rehabilitation Cross Training – Developed training curriculum
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Family to Family/Visions for Tomorrow - 50 people trained
- WRAP Training– 30 people trained
- Response to Intervention Training – 50 people trained
- SOAR Training – 2 Trained Trainers
- Trauma Focused – Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – 45 sites (5 Tribal)
- Post Partum Depression Screening – 100 people trained
- Formal Technical Assistance to: consumer, family youth organizations – 4 organizations, 232.5 hours – other organizations – 11 hours
Use of Data
- Updated integrated database
- Produced policy papers and studies using integrated database
- Developed data share agreements – Department of Social and Health Services, Employment Security Department, Washington State Patrol
- Funded mini-grants to assist consumer, family youth organizations in utilizing data: funded - 7 organizations
Coalition Building
- Transformation Work Group - 33 organizations
- Washington Health Foundation – 500 organizations/individuals
- Community Transformation Partnership - 17 organizations
- Mental Health Planning Advisory Council
- Washington Mentors - 90 organizations/individuals
- Prevention Advisory Group – 90 organizations/individuals
- Mental Health Council – Department of Corrections Advisory Group
- Indian Policy Advisory Council – Represents all Tribes and Urban Indian Programs
Social Marketing
- Marketing
- Developed and distribute fact sheets on recovery
- Established speakers bureau – trained 20 consumers in public speaking
- Surveyed mental health provider staff – attitudes on recovery
- Conducted anti-stigma training at 10 provider agencies
2008
Legislation
- HB2654 - Requires Mental Health Division to develop a plan for implementing consumer/family run services including revisions needed in Medicaid State Plan Waiver to allow funding such services. Plan to be submitted to Legislature by January 2009
- HB2690 - Established Mental Health First Aid training. Legislation did not pass, but budget proviso did.
- SB6313 – Established October as disability month and directs school districts to initiate activities within the schools to educate students about disabilities each year during October.
- SB6404 – Changed definition of Regional Support Networks (RSN) and allows Mental Health Division to contract with other entities under certain circumstances and prohibits RSN from reapplying for five years if they drop contract.
- SB6791 – Modified previous law that permitted counties to increase sales tax by a tenth of percent (to expand funding for mental health, chemical dependency, therapeutic courts) to clarify that monies can be used for support services, such as housing, as long as such services are provided to persons with mental illness and/or chemical dependency.
Reports/Analysis
All completed reports from 2007 have been presented to the Transformation Work Group (TWG), and TWG members are deciding what report-related activities will occur.
- Using DSHS’s Integrated Database to Examine Criminal Justice - Mental Health Issues [ 303KB]
- Tribal review of laws/regulations preventing direct Government to Government contracting for mental health services
- Juvenile corrections re-entry
- Expedited Medicaid Restoration for Persons with Mental Illness Released from Jails, Prisons and Hospitals [ 217KB]
- Mental Health Division System Transformation Initiative/Housing Action Plan
- Revised Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) plan
- Implementation of SSB 5533 in Washington State Counties and Cities [ 90KB]
- A Public Health Approach: Developing a Prevention-Oriented Mental Health System in Washington State [ 771KB]
- General Assistance Unemployable – cost offset – phase I.
Training/Technical Assistance
- Recovery/Resilience 8 sites, people trained
- Behavioral Health Conference – 550 participants
- Co-occurring Disorders Conference – 500 participants
- Mental Health - Vocational Rehabilitation Cross Training – 182 people trained
- National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Family to Family/Visions for Tomorrow – 50 people trained
- WRAP Training – 33 people trained
- Wraparound Training – 75 people trained
- Trauma pre-conference - 200 people trained
- Response to Intervention – 100 people trained
- Mental Health First Aid – 25 people trained as trainers
- Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment – 50 people trained
- Tribal Conference – 100 participants
- Regional Tribal Trainings – 100 participants
- Prevention Summit - 250 participants
- Crisis Intervention Train the Trainer – 21 Trained as trainers
- SOAR Training – 120 people trained
- Post Partum Depression Screening – 375 people trained
- Formal technical assistance to consumer, family, youth organizations – 4 organizations – 100 hours
Use of data
- Updated integrated database
- Produced policy papers and studies using integrated database
- Developed expanded data share agreement between Department of Social and Health Services and the Department of Corrections
Coalition Building
- Transformation Work Group - 34 organizations
- Washington Health Foundation – more than 900 individuals/organizations
- Community Transformation Partnership - 17 organizations
- Mental Health Planning Advisory Council
- Washington Mentors – more than 90 organizations
- Prevention Advisory Council – 90 individuals/organizations
- Mental Health Council, which is run by the Department of the Corrections
- Indian Policy Advisory Council – Represents all Tribes and Urban Indian Programs
Social Marketing
- Expanded speakers bureau with consumers, family, youth
- Established editorial board of consumers, families, youth, provider to respond to media using stigmatizing language
- The speakers bureau provided Anti-Stigma Training to provider clinicians regarding how their behaviors, language and attitudes can prevent/promote recovery – 6 agencies
- Changed name of two institutes from Washington Institute for Mental Illness Research and Training to Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training.
2009
Reports/Analysis
Many of the ideas for 2009 will be developed by September 30, 2008. Four are proposed here.
- General Assistance Unemployable - cost offset – phase II
- PACT outcomes.
- Report of counties passing tenth of percent sales tax
- Implementation of SB5533 – diversion
Training/Technical Assistance (proposed)
- Recovery/Resilience – 6 sites - 300 people trained
- Behavioral Health Conference - 550 participants
- Co-occurring Disorders Conference – 500 participants
- National Alliance on Mental Illness Family to Family/Visions for Tomorrow – 50 people trained
- WRAP Training– 30 people trained
- Wraparound Training – 75 people trained
- Crisis Intervention Training – 50 people trained
- SOAR Training – 60 people trained
- Mental Health First Aid – 10 trainers trained, 6 community trainings held
- Formal technical assistance to consumer, family, youth organizations - 4 organizations, 100 hours
Use of data
- Update and utilize integrated data base
- Develop new data share agreement with the Administrator for the Courts
- Produce policy papers and studies using integrated database
